I have no idea why there are twenty pieces of news about Prince William and Duchess Catherine today, but here we go. First off: Will and Waity like raunchy American comedies! Tut, tut. According to multiple sources, Kate and Will went to a normal little Welsh theater and saw Bridesmaids – which CB and I saw together! We both liked it, but there were some kind of sad parts in there too, and it wasn’t gut-busting funny. There were some kind of raunchy parts, though, and I’d like to think that Will and Kate laughed and that they weren’t grossly offended by all of us gauche Americans. Will and Kate had to drive 40 miles to get to the nearest theater when they‘re in Wales, so that’s just what they did on Saturday, which must be their “date night”. A palace spokesperson even had to make an official comment about it too, telling the press: “They have the rest of their lives to be public figures and working hard on behalf of the Queen and want to keep things on a level and enjoy their marriage.” Tut, tut.

Meanwhile, it was announced today that Kate and Will have moved into an apartment in Kensington Palace. It’s doubtful that they moved into the same apartment where Princess Diana lived in the years after her split from Charles. People Mag describes the apartment as “a modest two-bedroom, one bathroom apartment [which] provides a perfect place for the couple to entertain friends and base themselves when in the capital, but their residence there is likely to be temporary.” Temporary = for the next two years or so, because the palace claims that they won’t get a bigger place until they start working as full-time royals, which is probably years away. Also: William is hoping to become a captain with the RAF, which would mean that he would be allowed to pilot the Sea King helicopters himself.

But the big story about the Cambridges is that the Queen has finally, at long last, decided to get to know poor Kate. It’s been more than nine years, you know, since Kate and William began dating and the Queen only gives a crap now. The Queen is so awesome.

The Queen has invited the Duchess of Cambridge to Balmoral to ‘get to know her’, Royal author Ingrid Seward has claimed. Kate’s wedding to Prince William earlier this year was seen as a triumph, while her recent tour of Canada as a royal bride was internationally hailed a great success. But now the Duchess of Cambridge faces what might be her toughest challenge yet – a family holiday with her new in-laws.

She is expected to join the Royals later this summer on their annual trip to Scotland. It is customary for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to spend several weeks on their Balmoral estate every August and September. Usually they are joined at Birkhall on the estate by Prince Charles and Camilla and they are frequently all seen together at the Braemar Highland Games. Now palace aides have confirmed Kate is likely to join her new family on part of their Scottish visit.

As well as the magnificent Deeside landscape of mountains, lochs and glens, the former Miss Middleton can also look forward to joining in royal picnics, home-cinema evenings with the Queen and the family barbecues where Prince Philip insists on personally cooking the sausages and steaks himself. Insiders say the get-together will also finally allow the Queen to spend some time with Kate and get to know her better.

Ms Seward said the forthcoming family holiday in Scotland would also allow Kate to meet all the staff at Balmoral in preparation for her possible future role as mistress of the house. Ms Seward, editor in chief of Majesty, said: ‘This is quite an important visit for Kate because, believe it or not, the Queen does not really know her very well at all. Kate has never had an invitation before to stay at Balmoral – but she is family now and the Queen wants to get to know her. It is an important visit in many ways – not least because the Queen will want Kate to meet all the staff – one day she will be responsible for them. There will be a three-line whip on to introduce her to everyone. The Queen needs to present Kate to Scotland. The time has come.’

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge broke with royal tradition by not spending some part of their honeymoon at Balmoral – unlike the Queen herself, Princess Anne and Prince Charles. However, the newlyweds are no strangers to the neighbourhood. When Kate and Wills were both students at St Andrews, they frequently used the Royal estate as a retreat, sharing an estate cottage called Tam-na-Ghar during their breaks from university. Latterly they have tended to stay at Birkhall, Prince Charles’ Scottish home. However, their forthcoming visit is likely to see Kate staying in the ‘big house’ at Balmoral Castle for the first time.

Ms Seward explained: ‘I think she and William will be expected to stay some of the time at the big house – and perhaps a night or two at their cottage. Balmoral can be an ordeal for Royal brides. Diana ended up hating it, she loathed it. Not Scotland – just Balmoral. She hated the cold, the wet and the formality. She could not bear all those picnics. You have got to like yomping across the heather. In contrast Koo Stark, Prince Andrew’s old girlfriend, and the Duchess of York loved it. But Kate knows Scotland and is a big walker and outdoor girl. It is also William’s favourite place.’

A Royal source confirmed that William and Kate are expected to be going to Balmoral this summer.

‘It is likely to be around the end of August, but the dates may change because of William’s shift patterns as an RAF search and rescue pilot,’ he said. ‘I think everybody at Balmoral is excited and looking forward to welcoming the young married couple to what will one day be their responsibility. One thing for sure is that they both love the estate and Scotland. It is where they met and fell in love.’

William and Kate are expected to attend the Edinburgh wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall on July 30 – which coincides with Balmoral closing its doors to tourists for the year the following day.

[From The Mail]

I got tired of Balmoral just by watching The Queen. I would imagine that for public figures, it’s a gift to feel so isolated and like you can just be yourself, and like you’re surrounded by wilderness for hundreds of miles on all sides. But I can’t stand that kind of stuff personally, and even though Scotland is where Kate and Will fell in love, I suspect that it might not be Kate’s favorite thing either. I’m sure she’ll do well with her one-on-one time with the Queen – Kate is a geisha, and she aims to please and be without controversy – but Kate always seems like she genuinely enjoys people, enjoys the city, enjoys the luxuries of being in a more metropolitan environment. We’ll see.

Photos courtesy of Fame & WENN.